Get relief for your hand and wrist pain.
ECU Health’s expert orthopedic providers are ready to serve your hand and wrist needs. From gardening to tasks around the home and handshake greetings, hand and wrist health is vital for everyday activities. Our high-quality, compassionate care teams will make you comfortable and help you live pain-free while getting you back to things you love.
With treatment for everything from trigger finger to congenital hand deformity, our providers and surgeons are capable of taking care of your unique needs. We’ll work closely with you and your family to develop a care plan that suits you best and get you on the road to recovery.
We treat common hand and wrist conditions including:
- Nerve injuries
- Fractures
- Carpal and Cubital Tunnel
- Trigger Finger
- Arthritis
We provide surgical and non-surgical solutions including:
- Nerve decompression and repair
- Elbow and wrist replacement
- Trigger finger release
Treatments and Technologies
Trigger finger occurs when the tissue inside your finger or thumb becomes inflamed. Mild cases can be treated without surgery. If the problem is severe, surgery may be needed. Your health care provider will talk with you about your choices.
For mild symptoms, your health care provider may have you rest the finger or thumb. You may also be told to take anti-inflammatory medicines. These include ibuprofen or aspirin. You may be given an injection of medicine in the base of the finger or thumb. This typically is a steroid, such as cortisone. Cortisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory.
If nonsurgical treatments don’t ease your symptoms, you may need surgery. A tendon is a cord-like fiber that attaches muscle to bone and allows joints to bend. The tendon is surrounded by a protective cover called a sheath. During surgery, the sheath in your finger or thumb is opened to enlarge the space and release the swollen tendon. This allows the finger or thumb to bend and straighten normally. Surgery takes about 20 minutes and can often be done using a local anesthetic.
A congenital upper limb difference is a variation in how a baby’s hand or arm has formed¬. You may also hear it called a congenital anomaly. Congenital means the baby has it at birth. This can be a challenge as a child grows and learns to interact with the world with their hands. The amount of difference (anomaly) varies. It may be a minor variation, such as unequal fingers. Or it may be a severe malformation, such as total lack of a bone.
Talk with a hand surgeon early about your child born with an upper limb difference. They may advise surgery for your child. Or they may advise prosthetic devices to help your child with limb function.
Tendons are the fibers that join muscle to bone. Tendon repair is a difficult surgery because of the structure of the tendon. Tendon injuries can occur due to infection, injury, or sudden rupture. There are 3 types of tendon repair: primary, delayed primary, or secondary.
In cases where nerve damage isn’t linked to more complex injuries, surgery to check the damaged nerve is often done soon after the injury. This increases the chance of a full recovery. If the nerve is cut or severed, it may be fixed by reattaching it to the other end of the nerve. Or a nerve graft may be done. This involves replacing the damaged nerve with nerves taken from other areas of the body.